London Assembly pushes Boris to oppose retail-to-resi conversions

The London Assembly has called on the Boris Johnson to reject government plans which could see shops transformed into homes

The assembly wants the London Mayor to ask the government to abandon plans extending permitted development rights, warning the move would ‘drive up rents for businesses, damage the high street, and undermine the principle of localism’.

The elected body of the Greater London Authority fears the changes will also ‘damage the integrity of some retail areas in London, leaving shops isolated from one another by unsuitable residential properties.’

Assembly member and Labour councillor Navin Shah said: ‘Government plans to allow developers to convert shops into homes without planning permission poses an unnecessary threat to the corner shops and local parades that are at the hearts of our communities.

This ill-conceived policy risks damaging the quality of new housing

‘This ill-conceived policy risks seriously damaging jobs and quality of new housing across the capital.

‘Our local shopping parades are at the heart of our communities and we must protect them from this damaging and ill-conceived plan. As agreed by the assembly, the Mayor must intervene to stop the damage this policy will wreak on our local shops and communities.’

Conservative councillor and assembly member Steve O’Connell added: ‘We all want to see more homes in London but these proposals will only result in further damage to our high streets and lead to the widespread conversion of small shops into poor quality homes without consultation.

‘Local authorities will have virtually no control over the quality and location of residential development and normal standards simply won’t apply. With residential property worth far more than retail in some parts of London, there will be huge temptations for developers to convert.’

Previous story (07.08.13)

Government moots retail-to-resi conversions

The government is considering a further extension of permitted development rights which could see empty shops transformed into homes

The proposed planning shake-up, which has just gone out to public consultation, would allow owners of existing shops and agricultural buildings less than 150m² to be converted to residential use without the requirement for planning permission.

The new rules would allow for conversion from:

Retail to residential

Retail to banks and building societies

Agricultural to residential

Commercial to nurseries

Agricultural to schools and nurseries

The ‘town centre first’ planning rules would apply to buildings not in prime retail locations and the proposed development would have to comply with the council’s local plan for the area.

The proposals contained in a consultation which launched yesterday (6 August), reflect the advice contained within the Portas Review, which recommended more flexibility for change of use to help declining high streets.

Planning Minister Nick Boles said: ‘Thousands of empty and underused buildings, often on the edge of town centres, are going to waste because people do not want the hassle and uncertainty of submitting a planning application.

Removing this barrier will bring more people closer to their town centres

‘Removing this barrier will bring more people closer to their town centres, providing a much needed boost to local shops and ensuring we make the most of buildings that are already there for new homes, nurseries and schools this country needs.

‘Extending these permitted development rights on brownfield land will benefit all communities - whether in towns or the countryside.’

Paula Ridley, chair of Civic Voice rejected the idea that removing planning requirements would be better for the community or the economy: ‘We accept that the high street is a lot more than simply a retail experience and as a nation we sometimes get bogged down into thinking that our high streets are only about retail. They are much more than this. They need to be about place – not just profit. However, introducing this change will remove the right of the community to decide what is best for their area. We are not against the policy per se, but we are against the fact that the voice of the community will be removed.

She added: ‘We agree with the government that finding a solution to the housing crisis is essential, but this proposal is tinkering around the edge of the problem. The barrier to house building arises from borrowing restrictions and economic uncertainty, not planning. Investors need certainty and introducing uncertainty through sudden changes to planning has negative consequences. If the government wants to solve the housing crisis, they should look at bringing back into use the 920,000 empty homes across the UK, 330,00 of which are long term empty.’

Government must look back at the defunct office-to-resi proposals and ensure the same mistakes are not repeated

Liz Peace, chief executive of the British Property Federation said: ‘Retail to residential conversions could be an important step in breathing life into our high streets, and we would very much encourage a flexible approach, particularly in areas with increasingly obsolescent retail stock outside the retail core that is unlikely to be brought back into retail use.

‘We’re particularly pleased that government has listened to industry concerns and confirmed it will be up to local authorities to define their core retail areas, rather than a nationally set red line approach, and that there will be exemptions for conservation areas and national parks.

‘However, the government must look back at the largely defunct office to residential proposals and ensure the same mistakes are not repeated. It must not be so easy for local authorities to effectively ignore these proposals at a time of such acute housing need.’

RIBA head of external affairs, Anna Scott-Marshall commented: ‘We would support moves to make the planning system more responsive, flexible and proportionate and this would include more flexible approach to use classes on the high street.

‘But do we really want our high streets to be taken over for housing right across the country?

‘We worry that a measure to allow the odd change here and there could be open to speculative buyers for housing in unsuitable areas. And whether this prior approval process would be robust enough to allow for local decision-making and to uphold local planning policy. It has the potential to be fundamentally anti localist.

‘There are tools currently in place via Local Development Orders and Neighbourhood Development Orders to allow for these changes in a strategic way so we might question why they aren’t being used.’

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